0:00:02 > 0:00:05Every day, 400,000 women head out to work in Northern Ireland.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Many work in more traditional roles in the service industry,
0:00:08 > 0:00:09health and the public sector.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Others are in business.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14But some women do things a little differently.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23You do sometimes get looks. People are like, "Oh, what? You are what?"
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Is that a woman? Is that a woman up there?
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Seeing people's reactions,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35thinking, "Surely, that can't be."
0:00:35 > 0:00:38I'm thinking to myself, "Surely, why not?"
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Just because you are a girl doesn't mean that you're
0:00:42 > 0:00:43not as strong as the fellows
0:00:43 > 0:00:46and that you're not going to be able to do the same things,
0:00:46 > 0:00:50so I do get a kick out of it whenever I prove people wrong.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09I love running.
0:01:10 > 0:01:16I never thought that running would help with stress but it really does.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18I don't know if it just gives you time in your own head
0:01:18 > 0:01:21without thinking about anything else,
0:01:21 > 0:01:26not thinking about work or kids or family or whatever it is.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30It is like meditation - you are running along and your feet
0:01:30 > 0:01:33are pounding the pavement and your breathing is constant
0:01:33 > 0:01:36and you are thinking about the road ahead.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43TRAIN HORN HONKS
0:01:49 > 0:01:53Whenever I was at school, believe it or not,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57I wanted to be a curator in a museum.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59I even went to art college in Manchester.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04And I end up being a train driver, so go figure.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09There are 133 train drivers here,
0:02:09 > 0:02:14taking passengers on a staggering 13 million journeys every year.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16But just six are women,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19and Janet McGrath has been riding the rails for six years.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24We don't have our own wee special club, the female drivers.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28We bump into each other but with work,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32if you are a male driver or a female driver, you are just a train driver.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37We don't, you know... There's no classification.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42Janet's colleagues are used to seeing her in control of the train.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45But some passengers still find it odd.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47At Great Victoria Street,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50moving from one end of the train to the other
0:02:50 > 0:02:53and full uniform on with my work bag over my shoulder,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56and the conductor called me over and just said,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59"It's really funny, that gentleman over there has just said,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02"'Who is that girl carrying the driver's bag?'"
0:03:03 > 0:03:05And I thought to myself,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08"Well, at least he called me a girl and not a hideous hag or something!"
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Sometimes, whenever they see you pulling up to the platform, they go,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17"There is a woman driving!"
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Sometimes I find it funny but sometimes,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25at the end of a long day, I find it a bit irritating, I have to admit.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32When you are working you could be up a pole or in the bucket
0:03:32 > 0:03:36and you hear sometimes a lot of older gentlemen saying,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38"Is that a woman up there?"
0:03:40 > 0:03:43I suppose when you are out there working,
0:03:43 > 0:03:47that is your opportunity to show them people that are a bit
0:03:47 > 0:03:51shocked that there is a girl up there that she can do whatever
0:03:51 > 0:03:53she has been sent to do, the same as the rest.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00Megan Lapsley is Northern Ireland's only female overhead linesperson.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Today she is sorting out some exposed electrical cables.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Have you taped there?
0:04:10 > 0:04:15There are trees, you know, up above and over to the side,
0:04:15 > 0:04:21and for safety the trees can't be within three metres of a...
0:04:23 > 0:04:25A live line that's bare,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28so what we are doing is we are going up to fit this shrouding
0:04:28 > 0:04:32onto the line and tape up any connections within three metres
0:04:32 > 0:04:35of the tree and thereby making it safe.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Protecting Megan from 11,000 volts
0:04:44 > 0:04:47of live electricity are her safety gear
0:04:47 > 0:04:49and her knowledge of the job at hand.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54I do think about the dangers.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59You are working at height - that's a danger.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04You are working with live electricity,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07which is a danger if you haven't been trained.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15I know myself as long as I follow the rules that are set out,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17those dangers aren't a risk.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22Before I started and hadn't been trained, if somebody said,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24"Sure, scoot up there and do that,"
0:05:24 > 0:05:26then that would have been dangerous,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28but you do so much training...
0:05:29 > 0:05:30I don't worry about it.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44It is dawn and Jean Morgan is at work.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47She is the skipper of a fishing boat and will be at sea for a couple
0:05:47 > 0:05:51of days to catch lobsters and crabs to sell at the local market.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58With a skipper's ticket I can fish any boat up to 16.5 metres.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01So I could take one of the trawlers out for a night's fishing.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06If anything happens, like the engine failed or anything,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09I would be able to sort of maintain things.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Navigation, how to work the computers,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14how to know where you are going to.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17If anyone ever went into the water, how to save them.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Some nights we'd be out, it would be that rough.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Whenever we go out, usually it will be calm
0:06:25 > 0:06:28and then the next minute it would start to pick up, the weather,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31and then we would end up... we'd be rolling about.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39Last year there was a few times that I felt like it was getting
0:06:39 > 0:06:42very rough and I was close to falling over, so I had to make sure
0:06:42 > 0:06:45I held on to something whenever I was moving about the boat.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51It doesn't bother me, just being that used to being on the sea.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53I know all of them can swim!
0:06:57 > 0:06:59The weather is a constant problem.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03It is tough and she is at sea for 40 hours at a time.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Jean is the only woman, and a strong asset to the fishing crew.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Jean and I have been working together for three or four years.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14She is a good worker.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18Any time I need a crewman, or crewwoman, Jean is able to come.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26It makes me feel proud that I can do something
0:07:26 > 0:07:28that mainly men usually do.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Just to say I can do it as well as them,
0:07:33 > 0:07:37and they really don't say anything to me about it.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41But some things will always be easier for men than women,
0:07:41 > 0:07:43such as spending a penny on a fishing boat.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46The facilities on the boat, there is no toilets.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50I would have to go up to the foredeck and use a bucket.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Making sure that I tell all the men,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58which is a bit embarrassing, to make sure they turn around.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Finding a toilet at work certainly isn't
0:08:07 > 0:08:10a problem for 19-year-old plumber Leah McLarnon.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Well, my brother actually trained in the same tack as me
0:08:13 > 0:08:16to be a plumber but found out it wasn't for him.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22When I finished and I qualified, I did rub it in his face a bit
0:08:22 > 0:08:25because I was like, "I told you I would do it,
0:08:25 > 0:08:26"I told you I would do it.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29"I am not just your baby sister, I am actually a plumber now
0:08:29 > 0:08:31"and have the same qualification as you."
0:08:32 > 0:08:36On my first day, whenever I started the plumbing course,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39I walked up and outside the classroom
0:08:39 > 0:08:42there was all these fellows and they were all in their overalls
0:08:42 > 0:08:45and their boots, and I was the only wee girl.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50I was wearing normal clothes and I had my hair down and curled
0:08:50 > 0:08:54and I had my face full of make-up and I just...
0:08:54 > 0:08:55I looked so out of place.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01I walked down to get my uniform and nothing fitted.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Everything was too big. But I had to just grin and bear it.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08I went in to get changed and whenever I came out,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11they all started clapping and cheering
0:09:11 > 0:09:13because I wasn't like a wee Barbie any more.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18And I went into the workshop
0:09:18 > 0:09:21and they were explaining everything about tools and safety
0:09:21 > 0:09:25and, you know, all things like that and that's when I fell in love.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27I was just like, "This is what I want to do."
0:09:28 > 0:09:31When Leah was just a baby in the early '90s,
0:09:31 > 0:09:34there was little work out there for a tradeswoman.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Whenever I got involved in joining about 20 years ago
0:09:39 > 0:09:43and started to train, there wasn't really an awful lot of work here.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47There wasn't any big building projects here.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50I mean, Northern Ireland was still caught in the Troubles.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53You are looking at sites over Belfast where there was
0:09:53 > 0:09:57paramilitaries, where you're paying your safety on site.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02And then that happened all over Belfast in every part.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06It was not an easy game to get into
0:10:06 > 0:10:09and not one that would have attracted women into it.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29I get great satisfaction whenever you start off with raw material
0:10:29 > 0:10:31and it is just wood, and then you can turn it around
0:10:31 > 0:10:34and produce a lovely cabinet or a nice set of drawers.
0:10:34 > 0:10:35There is great satisfaction in that,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39that you have built that from the start.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42It is a lot of fun because you see your end result.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44And when you sell it, even more fun!
0:10:46 > 0:10:48While carving out her career,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Helen also found the time to raise a family.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54When I started training as a joiner
0:10:54 > 0:10:57then I also started my family as well.
0:10:57 > 0:10:58It was very difficult, actually,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01trying to get that work-life balance.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Once you start fitting a kitchen, you can't just knock off
0:11:04 > 0:11:07halfway through and say, "Right, I've got to pick the kids up."
0:11:09 > 0:11:11I suppose 20 years ago now there wasn't the same
0:11:11 > 0:11:13level of childcare that there was today,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16so I was quite lucky I had a very supportive family.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18But it was difficult, having children
0:11:18 > 0:11:20and working your way through it, you know?
0:11:20 > 0:11:23My daughter always hated it when I picked her up from school
0:11:23 > 0:11:24and I had my work boots on.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27She was like, "Why don't you get a job in Tesco's?"
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Everyone else arrives looking nice
0:11:29 > 0:11:30and I arrived in a big works van, you know?
0:11:37 > 0:11:39For Leah, a day's work in the plumbing trade
0:11:39 > 0:11:43can be a day off from the pressure of looking good.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Whenever I put my work clothes on, it is completely different.
0:11:48 > 0:11:49You don't have to deal with your hair,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52you don't have to do your make-up or your nails or tan or anything -
0:11:52 > 0:11:54you are going out to work, especially in my job.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I mean, your tan is not going to last
0:11:57 > 0:11:59and your make-up is not going to last and your hair is going
0:11:59 > 0:12:02to be wrecked before you're even finished on your first job.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08I do find it kind of therapeutic to get away from all the hair
0:12:08 > 0:12:12and make-up for being a girl. Because it is expected of you,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15and then whenever you go out with your face splashed
0:12:15 > 0:12:18and your hair scraped up and no jewellery,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20no make-up, no nothing...
0:12:20 > 0:12:22I mean, I do, I love that.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26The women in my family, you know, everyone is different
0:12:26 > 0:12:30but the one that is most influential to me would be my Aunt Theresa.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35She is actually a lorry driver and as to who influenced me to,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38you know, have a non-traditional job...
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Because I went to work with her and I just wasn't the same.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44I didn't want to sit behind a desk.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47I wanted to go out working and she showed me that a girl can do it.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52I have two girls
0:12:52 > 0:12:54and Erica, my eldest,
0:12:54 > 0:12:56wants to become a funeral director.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00I don't know if I was a positive influence.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Being a working mum,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06I think that probably was the positive influence -
0:13:06 > 0:13:09not the job that I did, but the fact that I always worked.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15My mum, whenever my children were little, they had
0:13:15 > 0:13:18their bedrooms at her house because I was working shifts constantly.
0:13:21 > 0:13:28And now my husband and my children are just used to me working shifts
0:13:28 > 0:13:30and just go with it.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34Except when I am really tired and really grumpy!
0:13:41 > 0:13:43I don't want to be considered a trainspotter,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46but I really enjoy driving old trains.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50It is not just driving old trains that Janet enjoys,
0:13:50 > 0:13:54it is the heavy manual maintenance of them as well that she thrives on.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03They asked for a pool of drivers who were still interested in driving
0:14:03 > 0:14:06the older trains and I like the older trains,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08so I volunteered for it.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Any of the drivers would need to know how to maintain
0:14:15 > 0:14:20the older trains. So you just check for water, you check for oil,
0:14:20 > 0:14:22you make sure everything is in place.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24It's your responsibility, this train.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Engineers and fitters don't do it, it is the driver's responsibility.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35Like most other jobs, the role of a train driver is constantly evolving.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Other grades are taking over some of the responsibilities
0:14:41 > 0:14:43that drivers had.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47It is more driving, less hands-on, which is why I still volunteer
0:14:47 > 0:14:49for the Sandite because you can't avoid it -
0:14:49 > 0:14:51you really do have to get stuck in.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55I just don't want to be sat in a seat,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57just driving up and down.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00You know, this part of it, you really get...
0:15:02 > 0:15:04..I don't know, your hands dirty.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Someone else who doesn't mind getting her hands dirty is skipper Jean.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19It is the fourth haul of lobsters and crabs for Jean
0:15:19 > 0:15:22and there will be another seven more today.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24But she has a strong flair for working at sea,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27which is something that she gained at a young age.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Being brought up in the fishing industry with my family all fishing.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36My grandfather, he fished for 40 years,
0:15:36 > 0:15:37uncles, they fished for 27 years.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41My granny and my mum, they both fished as well.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Whenever we were no age, my mum used to take us to
0:15:45 > 0:15:48the river, under the pier, fishing.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52Then whenever I was 11, then my mum opened up the shop -
0:15:52 > 0:15:55the fishmonger and selling fishing tackle.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57So then I would work in there every day after school,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01helping her, and that is where I learned how to fillet fish.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04My mum actually fished up until she was eight months pregnant
0:16:04 > 0:16:07carrying me, so that is where I think I got my sea legs at!
0:16:12 > 0:16:14When I started fishing I used to get really tired,
0:16:14 > 0:16:18but now that I have got used to it it just doesn't bother me any more.
0:16:18 > 0:16:19I just love being out on the sea.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22It is just something different than being on land.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26I love the peace and quiet. It is definitely peace and quiet out here.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32SEAGULLS CRY
0:16:39 > 0:16:43I used to be bullied at school. That is why I used to be so quiet.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Just being on the sea just feels like being in another world.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53You have nothing to worry about.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Just do your own thing.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Working in my mum's shop and going out fishing
0:17:04 > 0:17:06and just being my own boss,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08so I just feel more confident in what I do.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15It feels amazing, being able to overcome being so quiet.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Being on the sea, it does make me feel strong.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34Being outside, you know, it's nice.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Obviously when the weather is not nice it is not so nice,
0:17:37 > 0:17:42but on a glorious day you're sitting on a roof and you can see for miles.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45You are seeing parts of the countryside that no-one else really
0:17:45 > 0:17:49gets to see because, you know, not very many people sit on a roof.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57I had been working in Dublin and had a holiday booked to Egypt.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03The job came to an end about six weeks before I left
0:18:03 > 0:18:05to go on the holiday to Egypt.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10My father said, "Well, come out and work for me.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12"I'm sure you are going to need some money."
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Lo and behold, one Monday morning I find myself climbing up
0:18:17 > 0:18:20a ladder trembling, thinking, "Why I am doing this?"
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Once I got on the roof, I never really looked back.
0:18:26 > 0:18:32I remember people watching me with disbelief, you know,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34that this girl was on the roof.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36And I'm kind of thinking, "Well, why not?"
0:18:37 > 0:18:41After I had got over being scared myself, it was like,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43"I can do this, it's not really that hard,"
0:18:43 > 0:18:46So that kind of kept me going.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50And then, obviously, the skill developed and I stayed on.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56My family have always been supportive in that way that,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59you know, if you want to do something, do it.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05My mother, she would have loved to have been a carpenter herself
0:19:05 > 0:19:08but back, obviously, when my mother would have been
0:19:08 > 0:19:11looking for a job or starting out, that was a no-go.
0:19:11 > 0:19:17You know, people's mentalities back then just wasn't...
0:19:17 > 0:19:21Women weren't on building sites, they just...
0:19:21 > 0:19:23They had other things to do.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36Attitudes on site from other people I worked with weren't too bad.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Once people could see you were doing what you were doing,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41all the other lads you are working with are fine.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43But you would have got the head of the job
0:19:43 > 0:19:45or whoever was paying the money,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47they would come on and be looking round going,
0:19:47 > 0:19:48"What is she doing here?
0:19:48 > 0:19:50"Are you getting the tea or are you cleaning up?"
0:19:50 > 0:19:52You're like, "Yeah, OK."
0:19:54 > 0:19:58I would do a lot of work as well with women's organisations
0:19:58 > 0:20:00when I would train other women. So we would, as we say,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03we are out to change the shape of builders' bums
0:20:03 > 0:20:06and get more women out on site.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09So it is about giving other women the opportunity to have
0:20:09 > 0:20:10a go at something different.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14It is surprising, the amount of women who come to us
0:20:14 > 0:20:17and say, "I really enjoyed that plumbing course
0:20:17 > 0:20:19"and I'm going to go home to change the taps in my bath
0:20:19 > 0:20:22"and I'm going to put a shower in."
0:20:22 > 0:20:24You know, it is so important that they can do it
0:20:24 > 0:20:26and there is no mystery around doing it.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Megan is still grappling with her power lines.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38But there are some trees standing too close which need to be taken down.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Luckily, she is handy with a chainsaw.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50We are going to put a mouth cut in the front of the tree
0:20:50 > 0:20:52in the direction we want it to go,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55and then once we have done that we are going to come in
0:20:55 > 0:20:57from the back and leave a good-sized hinge
0:20:57 > 0:21:01because we have got a rope on to control the direction it is going.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03CHAINSAW REVS
0:21:09 > 0:21:11It is pretty heavy at times.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13This isn't too bad today but there are days
0:21:13 > 0:21:16where it is a really hard job.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19You know, you would like to think, boys, you know,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22anything you can do we can do better, but this might be
0:21:22 > 0:21:27one of those things where they have the serious strength advantage.
0:21:27 > 0:21:28But it is still...
0:21:28 > 0:21:31You know, it is manageable,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33it is just a lot more difficult.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40When I was younger, at school, I was always going with Dad
0:21:40 > 0:21:45and delivering coal and gas and stuff to people and I always
0:21:45 > 0:21:49wanted to be big enough and strong enough to help him carry the bags.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55Both my mum and my dad have always worked really hard.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58I suppose that instils that mentality that if you want to
0:21:58 > 0:22:01have the things that you want in life or you want to get
0:22:01 > 0:22:05where you want to be in life, there is only one way to get there
0:22:05 > 0:22:06and it is hard work.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19A lot of the job is knowing what's ahead of you, knowing your
0:22:19 > 0:22:23signals and your speeds and your gradients and the names of things.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26You need to know where you are the whole time.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28There is a lot to being a train driver.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31You have to just remember all of the emergency things that they have
0:22:31 > 0:22:37taught you, a rule book that thick that you have to know and learn.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41We are coming now into a platform here.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44This is round a corner so I just have my hand on the horn...
0:22:44 > 0:22:48- HORN BEEPS - ..just in case there's somebody too close to the edge.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52'You have to be able to do your normal job
0:22:52 > 0:22:55'and it is like that day in, day out, and then all of a sudden
0:22:55 > 0:22:58'an emergency can happen and you have to be able to react to it.'
0:22:58 > 0:23:02That is basically what I get paid for, is whenever bad stuff happens
0:23:02 > 0:23:06I have to be able to react to it appropriately.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Sometimes it can put you off when you see a train
0:23:08 > 0:23:09heading straight for you.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16It is like driving a car in the sense that you don't think
0:23:16 > 0:23:19about the traffic behind you, it is just everything in front of you.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23It is just about the route - making the stops,
0:23:23 > 0:23:25making the right decisions.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27But you never forget that you are carrying people.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31That is why you stop the train perfectly,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35so that the whole of the train is on the platform, and that is why
0:23:35 > 0:23:40you stop the train gently, so as people don't fall over.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44You never forget that you are carrying people,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46but you forget the amount of people.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Whenever you arrive in at a terminal station
0:23:51 > 0:23:54and you just see hundreds of people walking past,
0:23:54 > 0:23:59hundreds and hundreds, that is when you realise the responsibility
0:23:59 > 0:24:03that you have had, the amount of lives that you have kept safe.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13It might look like a tough day at the office for Megan...
0:24:13 > 0:24:16but there are real perks to this job.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20When it is a good day,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22you definitely have the best job in the world.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Some of the views you might have from places you would be
0:24:26 > 0:24:28working is absolutely amazing.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Everybody is in good form when the sun is shining.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35But in the times when the weather is bad and people's power starts
0:24:35 > 0:24:38going out, there is a real camaraderie and team effort
0:24:38 > 0:24:40in the depots.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Everyone works together to make sure that the jobs get done
0:24:44 > 0:24:48and everybody gets their power back on as soon as possible.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52When it's lashing, that is my least favourite.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56I would rather snow or ice or wind
0:24:56 > 0:25:01over lashing from start to finish.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04If you are out and you are cold and you get soaked all day,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07you will never appreciate getting home
0:25:07 > 0:25:11and being in front of the fire with a cup of tea as much ever.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13CHURCH BELL RINGS
0:25:15 > 0:25:17RECORDER MUSIC PLAYS
0:25:34 > 0:25:37On my wedding day, I felt amazing.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44I would wear make-up, but I wouldn't dress up too much.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Only if I was going out somewhere, but I very rarely get out.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52Just to be dressed up that one day, I just felt like a princess.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00She's lovely.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Pretty proud to be marrying her, aren't I?
0:26:05 > 0:26:08She is just lovely today. She always is lovely.
0:26:08 > 0:26:09I'm so proud of her.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12She never stops working - she is the great worker.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15She is always working, that's the way she is.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18She takes after her granny, because she was a hard worker too.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25A few weeks after the big day, Jean is still fishing.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27But now she has even more jobs to carry out,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31working alongside her new husband Charles on their farm.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37The farm I now live with my husband Charles...
0:26:37 > 0:26:39Day to day, it varies.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Some days we could be digging spuds, sometimes by hand
0:26:45 > 0:26:46or sometimes in the harvester.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Either he would drive or I would drive
0:26:48 > 0:26:50and one of us go in the harvester.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Other days we could be worming cattle,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58and I also have hens and ducks,
0:26:58 > 0:27:02so I feed and water them and clean them out, look after them.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04And we have five dogs.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Have to look after as well, and four horses.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Hopefully whenever I do have kids,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16I hopefully will be able to carry on what I'm doing.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20I would encourage them to fish and farm as well.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24I would love them to have a choice and do whatever they feel is right.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33Some women are born into roles traditionally done by men
0:27:33 > 0:27:36and for others it is a deliberate career choice.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40Every day, strong women are enhancing businesses, services,
0:27:40 > 0:27:44companies and corporations and making small steps in changing
0:27:44 > 0:27:47the face of the workplace for the better.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50I suppose I would like to see myself as a positive role model
0:27:50 > 0:27:53for other people coming through and also for other young boys.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Because I think when young boys see that girls can do it,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58it removes their barriers that girls can't do it.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01And we need to remove all the barriers that girls can't do
0:28:01 > 0:28:04in girls' heads and in boys' heads, and in teachers' heads
0:28:04 > 0:28:08and in all the people who are influencing us.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13Women are able to do a lot more than men think we can do,
0:28:13 > 0:28:15so I think it should be pushed.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17You know, more unusual jobs,
0:28:17 > 0:28:21like funeral directors, like working for NIE,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23being a joiner, being a train driver,
0:28:23 > 0:28:25being into the fishing industry -
0:28:25 > 0:28:28I think they should be pushed. Why not?